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What’s the Right Military Discounted Disney Ticket for Me for 2020?

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Special Info for these Crazy Times:

What’s the Right Military Discounted Disney Ticket for me?

I am often asked some version of this question.

(Updated September 2020)

What’s the Right Military Discounted Disney Ticket for Me for 2020?

Note During the current operating situation there have been changes to Disney World Tickets. There is no Park Hopping and Water Parks are not open. This affects the different tickets in different ways:

  • Disney Armed Forces Salute – No Hopper Plus for sale. Hoppers being sold at no reduced cost as they are highly discounted.
  • Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets – No Hopper or Hopper Plus being sold, no 8-10 day tickets.
  • Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets were extended through 16 September 2021 (buy before 18 Dec 2020)

See our special pages on the current situation that are linked at the top of this post!

A Very Complex Issue

“I’d like to go to Disney World for 6 days, what’s the cheapest ticket to buy?”

This question is typical of those that I receive and while this is a seemingly simple question, there are way too many variables to give a simple answer!

The Variables, which were left out of the question above that affect the answer are:

  • Number of adults in the party (ages 10+)
  • Number of children in the party (ages 3-9)
  • Dates of the Trip
  • Desire to Park-Hop
  • Desire for Water Park Fun and More Options
  • Where are you staying?
  • Will you be using FastPass Plus?
  • Are there any Must Have FastPass Plus attractions?
  • Have any Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets been used previously during the current offer period?

When answering a question like this I have to shotgun lots of information, which might or might not apply.

Deciding the right ticket for your party is a very complex decision, one which will be influenced heavily by your vacation decisions and touring preferences.

The right Military Ticket option of one family might not be the right option for another!

This is going to be a long complex post, in which I’ll try to lay things out in a logical manner with the intention of guiding you through your decision making process.

Disney's Armed Forces Salute Renewed for October 2013 - September 2014

Disney Military Ticket Types

Many people are surprised to find out that there are actually several totally different types of military discounted Disney tickets!

These ticket types are

  1. Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets
  2. Regular Military Discounted, Magic Your Way Tickets at WDW or Theme Park Tickets at Disneyland
  3. Shades of Green’s Stars and Stripes Passes

These different ticket types have price increases on different schedules

Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets – These are special, highly discounted tickets which are offered for a specific time period and have exclusion dates. They are often, but not always the right choice.

Note to non-retired veterans; you do not qualify for the Disney Armed Forces Salute, however there are Disney Veteran Discounts that you do qualify for. They are listed below. You should read this post about your benefits and then come back to this page.

Facts:

  • These are available for purchase at Base Ticket Offices, including Shades of Green or directly from Disney.
  • There is a single ticket price for all guests 3 years old and up.
  • A limited number of these special tickets are allowed to be used during the offer in which they are sold. During the 2018 Salute offer periods the limit is 6 during each offer
  • These tickets come in 3 varieties: Park-Hopper (WDW & DL), Water Park Fun and More (WDW), or both options (WDW).
  • These tickets come in 4-day and 5-day versions in 2019 and 4-day, 5-day, and 6-day versions for 2020 at Walt Disney World (WDW) and 3-day and 4-day at the Disneyland Resort (DLR).
  • These tickets are usable for the life of the offer.
  • They do not need to be used all at once or consecutively.
  • These tickets have a set price for the length of the offer and are based upon the general public ticket prices at the time the offer is announced. Their price does not increase if general public prices increase later.

Note to non-retired veterans; you do not qualify for the Disney Armed Forces Salute, however there are Disney Veteran Discounts that you do qualify for. Read this info first, then come back to this page to read about the tickets below! 

For more info and current prices see: Disney Armed Forces Salute Info

Regular Military Discounted, Magic Your Way Tickets or Theme Park Tickets – These are the slightly discounted tickets that have always been offered to the military community by Disney through Base Ticket Offices.

Facts:

  • These are identical to the 1 to 10-day tickets, with various options, which are available to the general public, at a slight military discount.
  • There are 2 ticket age groups: child ages 3-9 and adult ages 10 and up. Under 3 is free.
  • These tickets come in 3 varieties: 1-Park per day (WDW & DLR), Park-Hopper (WDW & DLR), and Park Hopper Plus (WDW).
  • These are only available for purchase at Base Ticket Offices and Shades of Green.
  • These tickets expire 14 days after first use at WDW and 13 days after first use at DLR.
  • The price for these tickets is based upon the current general public ticket prices. When Disney increases their regular ticket prices, these go up as well.
  • The last 3 year’s price increases have been in February, the 8 prior years it was during the summer and twice during this timeframe there were 2 increases per year.
  • These tickets do not need to be used on consecutive days, you can take a down day in the middle to relax.

For more info see: Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets

For current prices see:

What’s the Right Military Discounted Disney Ticket for Me for 2020?

Disney Armed Forces Salute Exchange Voucher Ticket

Shades of Green’s Stars and Stripes Passes – These are special, all-inclusive 1 to 10-day passes offered by Disney World and Shades of Green. These are “Length of Stay” passes available for purchase by any military member staying at any resort on Walt Disney World Property (Shades of Green, WDW Resorts, and the Disney Swan and Dolphin).

Facts:

  • These passes include: Theme Park Admission, Park-Hopping, and Park Hopper Plus admission.
  • There are 2 pass age groups: child ages 3-9 and adult ages 10 and up.
  • These can only be purchased from Shades of Green.
  • These tickets are valid one day longer than their allotted number of days after purchase, i.e. a 5-day pass expires 6 days after first use.
  • The prices for these passes are also based upon the current general public ticket prices. When Disney increases their regular ticket prices, these go up as well.
  • These Passes are length of Stay. You must use them within the allotted number of days allowing only 1 non-theme park day. If you want to take more than 1 down day to lie around the pool, or go to Universal or SeaWorld you will waste some of the pass.

See our Water Park Fun and More information

For more info and current prices see: Stars and Stripes Passes

Disney’s Ticket Pricing

The first few days of tickets for a Disney vacation cost you the most money!

Disney heavily frontloads the price on their multi-day tickets. Your first day costs the most money, followed decreasingly by the second through fourth days. After that extra days cost much less to add.

Here is how much is costs to add each additional day to a Walt Disney World military discounted Magic Your Way, non-Hopper ticket (Hoppers and Plus work the same):

  • Day 1 – $119 for the first day
  • Day 2 – $107 to add a second day
  • Day 3 – $91 to add a third day
  • Day 4 – $78 to add a fourth day
  • Day 5 – $16 to add a fifth day
  • Day 6 – $10 to add a sixth day
  • Day 7 – $11 to add a seventh day
  • Day 8 – $11 to add a eighth day
  • Day 9 – $10 to add a ninth day
  • Day 10 – $10 to add a tenth day

Another way to look at this is to average the cost of the ticket by the number of days

  • Day 1 – $119 per day
  • Day 2 – $113 per day
  • Day 3 – $105.67 per day
  • Day 4 – $98.75 per day
  • Day 5 – $82.20 per day
  • Day 6 – $70.17 per day
  • Day 7 – $61.71 per day
  • Day 8 – $55.38 per day
  • Day 9 – $50.33 per day
  • Day 10 – $46.3 per day

This does not reflect multi-day ticket tiered use date based pricing as this has not yet made the transition to military prices regular tickets. (Apr 2019)

The situation is very similar at Disneyland, the multi-day non-hopper per day cost (Hoppers work the same):

  • Day 1 – $104.00 for the first day
  • Day 2 – $117.00 to add a second day
  • Day 3 – $73.00 to add a third day
  • Day 4 – $24.25 to add a fourth day
  • Day 5 – $15.50 to add a fifth day

Or

  • Day 1 – $104 per day
  • Day 2 – $110.50 per day
  • Day 3 – $98.00 per day
  • Day 4 – $79.56 per day
  • Day 5 – $66.55 per day

This front loading of cost makes combining multiple tickets cost prohibitive in most cases.

This is because when you buy 2 tickets you are paying for the expensive days twice. Only on very limited, mid-length vacations is it cost effective to combine a Regular Military ticket with a Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket.

Disney World Ticket Increase For Military

Determining Your Requirement

So, now to the process of making your decision…

Timeframe – Does your trip fall within the 2019 Disney Armed Forces Salute timeframe?

1 January 2019 through 19 December 2019.

– Are your dates within Blockout Dates?

Disneyland: 14 – 22 April 2019

Walt Disney World: none for 2019

Eligibility – How many Salute tickets are you eligible for?

A total of 6 during the 2019 Salute period.

Note, there is an exception to this rule for large families.

Length of vacation – How many park days?

How many days do you want to spend in the Disney Theme Parks?

What type of touring do you want?

Do you want to do one park per day, park-hop, go to the Water Parks or park hop and water parks? Do you need to park-hop or go to the water parks for your whole vacation?

Where are you Staying?

It matters at WDW for FastPass Plus.

Are you at a Disney Resort, Shades of Green, Swan & Dolphin, or Disney Springs Resort Hotels (with 60-day FastPass), or somewhere else (30-day FastPass)?

One way to economize and make your ticket stretch is to get a ticket with the Park Hopper Plus Option, and use the Plus visits to fill non-park days on your vacation. A 4-day ticket with Park Hopper Plus Option can keep you busy for up to 8 days!

Water Park Fun and More options

Once you’ve answered these questions you can begin to price your tickets.

Disney RFID Ticket

Ticket Price Resources

Here are links to our ticket pricing and info resources

Disney Armed Forces Salute – The 2019 tickets start on 1 January 2019 and are valid through 19 December 2019.

Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets – These ticket prices increased in March 2019, but they could also increase before Star Wars – Galaxy’s Edge opens 29 August.

Shades of Green Stars and Stripes Passes – The price of these passes increased in March 2019, but they could also increase before Star Wars – Galaxy’s Edge opens 29 August.

Disneyland Theme Park Tickets – These ticket prices increased in January 2019 and probably won’t increase before Star Wars – Galaxy’s Edge opens 29 May.

How Disney Price Increases Affect Military Tickets

General Guidelines

Below are some general guidelines on what your ticket selection might be.

But I encourage you to run the numbers yourself for every ticket combo you can think of to be sure for your specific circumstance.

If you do not have the ticket availability to do 2 back-to-back Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for some or all of your party you may need to mix in or switch to Regular Military Discounted, Magic Your Way Tickets.

Seven Dwarves Mine Train

Walt Disney World

1 Park Day – The one-day Regular Military Discounted, Magic Your Way Ticket is always the right choice, whether for the Magic Kingdom or the other theme parks.

2 Park Days – The two-day Regular Military Discounted, Magic Your Way Ticket is currently the right choice.

3 through 4 Park Days – One 4-day Disney Armed Forces Salute Ticket per person is always the right choice. Even though there are 3 day regular tickets, the Salute ticket is cheaper and remains valid through the end of the offer (in case you return).

5 Park Days – One 5-day Disney Armed Forces Salute Ticket per person is always the right choice.

6 Park Days – One 6-day Disney Armed Forces Salute Ticket per person is always the right choice.

7  to 10 Park Days – Here is where it starts to get complicated. To find the lowest price you need to compare:

  • Back-to-back Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets
  • Combining a Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way ticket with a Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket
  • A single Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way ticket
  • And for Shades of Green guests the Stars and Stripes Pass

These are the ticket types you’ll need to compare:

Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets

  • 4-day Park Hopper Tickets
  • 4-day Park Park Hopper Plus Tickets
  • 5-day Park Hopper Tickets
  • 5-day Park Park Hopper Plus Tickets

Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets

  • 1 – 10 day Base Tickets (only one park per day)
  • 1 – 10 day Park Hopper Tickets
  • 1 – 10 day Park Hopper Plus Tickets

Shades of Green’s Stars and Stripes Passes

  • 1 – 10 day Passes

What to compare for 5-10 days (do your own math):

Try every option that you can think of:

  • Everyone in the party might not use the same type of tickets to come up with the cheapest cost!
  • Some of your park days could be non-hopping to save.
  • Children’s Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets are cheaper, if just someone in your party is using these then it should be the kids.
  • Back to back use of Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for all or some of your party, depending on how many people you have. Mix 4 and 5 day for 9 days.
  • Combining Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets with regular tickets, sometimes this works out as the cheapest route. Try both lengths of Salute ticket and all types of regular military ticket: Base, Hopper, Water Park, both Options depending on your touring desires.
  • Regular Military Discounted Tickets for the full length

Important note when mixing tickets: When using Magic Bands for park entry, the last ticket linked to each person in My Disney Experience will be the first ticket automatically used for entry by the system. If you will be using your tickets in a different order i.e. for a non-hopping day in the middle you have 2 options. You can go to guest relations prior to entering the park to coordinate which ticket you want used that day or use the physical ticket versus your magic band for entry.

Military Discounted Disneyland Hotels (C) Disney

Disneyland

At Disneyland there are just the Base and Park Hopper tickets.

1 Park Day – The one-day Regular Military Discounted, Theme Park Ticket is always the right choice.

2 through 3 Park Days – One 3-day Disney Armed Forces Salute Ticket per person is always the right choice. Even though there are 2-day regular tickets, the Salute ticket is cheaper and remains valid through the end of the offer (in case you return).

4 Park Days – One 4-day Disney Armed Forces Salute Ticket per person is always the right choice.

For 5 to 8 park days you’ll be comparing:

Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets

  • 3-day Park Hopper Tickets
  • 4-day Park Hopper Tickets

Regular Military Discounted Tickets

  • 1 – 5 day Base Tickets (only one park per day)
  • 1 – 5 day Hopper Tickets

What to compare for 5-8 days (do your own math):

Try every option that you can think of:

  • Everyone in the party might not use the same type of tickets to come up with the cheapest cost!
  • Some of your park days could be non-hopping to save.
  • Children’s Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets are cheaper, if just someone in your party is using these then it should be the kids.
  • Back to back use of Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for all or some of your party, depending on how many people you have. Mix 3 and 4 day for 9 days.
  • Combining Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets with regular tickets, sometimes this works out as the cheapest route. Try both lengths of Salute ticket and all types of regular military ticket: Base, Hopper, both Options depending on your touring desires.
  • Regular Military Discounted Tickets for the full length

Do Your Homework

As you can see it isn’t as straightforward as you might think!

The important points for you to remember are:

  1. Decide how you’d like to tour and how many park/water park days you’ll need
  2. Come up with every possible combo of tickets that you can imagine
  3. Check the prices and do the math

Link Disney Armed Forces Salute Paper Vouchers to your My Disney Experience Account

Disney Tickets and Technology Links

Tickets

Disney's Armed Forces Salute Tickets The biggest military discount available on tickets

Regular Disney Military Discount Tickets The permanent Disney Military Discount

Stars and Stripes Passes From Shades of Green at Walt Disney World, are available to any Shades of Green eligible person who is staying anywhere on WDW property.

Disney Military Tickets – Your Start to Finish Guide

What’s the Right Military Discounted Disney Ticket for Me?

WDW's Park Hopper Plus Option Information

Technology

Disney World's new Fast Pass Plus (FP+) system and the Magic Bands are great new benefits that are part of the set of new technologies collectively known as Disney Next Gen or My Magic Plus.

Disney Technology Overview Page

Memory Maker and PhotoPass+ Military Discounts

My Magic Plus - What all this New Disney Technology?

Linking Disney Military Tickets And Fastpass Plus Reservations

Waiting On Your Walt Disney World FastPass Plus Window To Open (what you'll see in your account)

Disney FuelRod Stations are Available at Disney Parks for Recharging Your Devices

Magic Bands for Shades of Green Guests

FastPass Plus for Shades of Green Guests

Memory Maker and PhotoPass

All You Need To Know About Disney World FastPass Plus For The Military Traveler

Military FastPass Plus Ticket Options for Disney World



Planning a Disney Trip? Want to get the best military discounts that are available? Feeling a little confused? Get Our Email Newsletter

Read about the Temporary Changes to Disney World during their Post-Lockdown Re-Opening

See Our Great Disney Discount and Planning Info: Learn about the Disney Armed Forces Salute the best military discount that there is for Disney. See our Topic Overview Pages:

Disney Guidebooks By MDT

Disney World for Military Families Disneyland for Military Families The Essential Guide to Shades of Green

Military Disney Tips' Recommended Disney Travel Agent

Save on your Disney Vacation With Military Discounts in 2017

Ears of Experience Disney Only Travel Agency. Military family owned and operated! They know all the ins and outs of Disney military discounts!
 
 

Comments

  1. katie says

    You really have done a lot of homework to put this site together. I am in the Canadian Military and wondering if you know of any discounts that may be accessible to us? We are planning a 3 day disneyland trip in October. Thanks

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi there Katie,

      Unless you are stationed in the US and have a US ID, I’m not aware of anything.

      Having said that, it never hurts to ask in person at the ticket window. I have heard from non-US service members who have had some luck doing so.

      Reply

  2. Shannon Heffern says

    If you purchase a 4-5 day hopper ticket for DL, use 1 day now, can you use the rest of the day’s say next May? In the hopes Disney extends into 2016…

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Shannon,

      Each Disney Armed Forces Salute is a totally separate offer.

      The Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets which are part of the current offer will quit working at midnight on 20 Dec and loose all monitory value.

      Reply

  3. Paula Moran says

    Planning on going to Disneyland early in 2016 and to Disney World in the Fall of 2016. Is my immediate family eligible for six Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for Disneyland and six Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for Disney World?

    Reply

  4. Melissa Rudolf says

    We are going in May 2016 to WDW, family of 6 (one child under 3), 5 days at the park (hopper all days but one) with one day at the water park. Our best option is the Armed Forces Salute – with water park and hopper option. Then for the 5th park day (really are first day) we plan to buy a one day Magic your Way ticket for Epcot. We are staying at a Walt Disney Resort Hotel. Would we need to go to guest relations every day to make sure the correct ticket is used, or just the first day at Epcot. Also could we wait until the evening when we leave Epcot to activate are Armed Forces Salute ticket, so it would not be an issue.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hey Melissa,

      Great question.

      Yes on both counts.

      The first day ensure the 1-day MYW tickets will be used. Last linked in MDE is first used. But always check first (though they can fix it after, they did for me).

      Or as you said not activating the Salute tickets will prevent them from being used for that first entry.

      Sounds like an awesome vacation, have fun!

      Reply

  5. Debby says

    Hi i just want to go to disneyland for 1 day in this next week
    1 day 1 person military.
    what is the best choice for me
    thanks debby

    Reply

  6. Amy says

    His I thought you had to be staying at shades of green to get the stars and stops ticket. From what I read above you don’t have to be staying there. Is that right?

    Reply

  8. Cheryl Webster says

    My father is a 94 yr old WWII DAV. A few times in the past, we have used the Military Discount ticketing for WDW. Over the years, they had “changed” the requirements to be eligible for these discounts. He is not 100% disabled, but he is disabled from WWII. I tried calling so many people to see WHY one year he was allowed to use the Military discounts, and now he can’t! It seems unfair to me. We go to Disney, every year since 1960! The first time my Father used the discount, was in 2005 I think. And a few other times afterward. Before going to WDW this past Dec. I looked into it once again. The Military discount RULES seem to be changing each yr. He has forms of ID from the VA, the DAV, photo, etc… Just can’t figure out “why” he is turned away for someone who fought for this country of his generation. There’s not many of them left from that war. Disney needs to consider changing the rules for WWII Vets…. Shame on you Disney!

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Cheryl,

      Thanks for your comment. I totally understand your point of view. My father was a World War 2 vet also and it was nice to get what perks some companies decided to offer.

      First it is very important for you to understand that the Department of Defense sets the eligibility for the Disney Armed Forces Salute not Disney.

      Second the Salute was only offered during a short period in 2002 and then again since 2009.

      Since 2009 the rules have not changed at all. Current military, retired military, or 100% DAVPRM are and have always been the only eligible individuals.

      If your dad was allowed to use this offer in the past it was either by error or a cast member intentionally breaking the rules to be kind.

      But please see this offer for non-retired veterans which is from Shades of Green. It is only for the months of January and September. Here is my post with details including what documentation is required: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Shades-of-Green/Non-Retired-Veterans.html

      Reply

  9. Lawrence Benhase says

    We purchased 3, 4 day park military passes at DW ticket office on January 23 2016, After the first day of visit to magic kingdom, two of us got sick with pneumonia. Are the 3 days left on the passes still valid until December 16 2016. We would like to return in the fall. Thank you

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Yes Lawrence, the remaining days on your Disney 2016 Armed Forces Salute Tickets are valid through 19 December 2016.

      Reply

  10. Erik H says

    HI, so I’d like to visit WDW for 4 days, but unfortunately it’s during the blackout dates for Armed Forces Salute. I’d like at least one or two days with parkhopper.

    What are my options?

    Thank you for your time. I feel like you’re underappreciated from some of these other comments.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Erik,

      As mentioned in the post above, at $196 the Disney Armed Forces Salute is the best ticket for 2 park days. A 2-day Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way ticket non-hopper is currently $198 and a hopper is currently $250. These prices could go up any day based upon the recent general public price increase.

      Thanks so much!!!

      Reply

    • Steve says

      reread your question after posting Erik.

      Strike my other comment. I see you need 4 days.

      Right now if you can get the pre-Feb ticket increase prices (on this page http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Magic-Your-Way-Tickets.html) a 4-day non hopper or hopper Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way ticket is cheaper than a combo of tickets.

      Disney increased prices on the general public Magic Your Way tickets last week and this had not trickled down to Shades (and I assume base ticket offices) as of last Thurs. But this could change any day…

      Reply

  11. Kathy says

    Hi Steve ,

    We’re planning a quick little trip before my husband deploys next week and I was wondering , if I currently purchase a one day ticket would I be able to upgrade it to a salute later on before the expiration ? We would only be going for one day this time but I’ll probably be going through your the year with the kids while he’s deployed .

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Kathy,

      No that will not work as for as I know as the 1-day would be used up.

      The options as I see them is to buy the 1-day now or to buy the Salute now for just you (it costs less than an Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way 2-day ticket) and get the kids later (you’d be off a day from theirs this way).

      Reply

  12. TAMYA SMITH says

    WHAT ARE THE PRICES FOR DISABLED VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILY?THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.

    Reply

  13. Gina Rivadeneira says

    Hi I am the wife of a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the gulf war. I am going to Disney World in Orlando on June 20-24 we are wanting to buy if possible Disney
    tickets for our family we have two small children with autism but not sure because it’s a bit expensive, apparently my husband is not retired but I don’t know where
    to look. I was able to do SeaWorld fun pass but I would gladly love any information my kids would love to go there. Any information would be grately appreciated.
    Thank you.

    Sincerely,
    Gina Rivadeneira

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Gina,

      Thanks for checking out the site!

      There are no discounts available directly from Disney for your situation.

      There is the this one discount available for non-retired veterans which is from Shades of Green. But it is only for the months of January and September. Here is my post with details including what documentation is required: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Shades-of-Green/Non-Retired-Veterans.html perhaps you can reschedule your trip or plan another when you can use this.

      Reply

  14. Jim LeBlanc says

    I am planing a trip to Disney World in March 2017. I was in the service in 1970 to 1972 during the Vetnam era I got out honorable medical discharge I have a military ID. Am I eligible for discount park tickets Thank you.

    Reply

  16. Diane says

    Steve,
    Can you please give me some help on discounted prices for rooms at the Polynesian. I will be using my 100% disabled DAVPRM spouse card. I will need 2 rooms, 1 for 2 adults, 1 for 1 adult and 2 children ages 3 and 5. Our travel dates are Jan.18, 2017 – January 23, 2017.

    TY

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Diane,

      The only help I can provide (as someone not associated with Disney) is to tell you to keep trying (openings do occur) or have a professional like Ears of Experience do it for you (at no extra charge).

      Reply

  19. Margaret Adams says

    Hi Steve. My family will be going to Orlando the 1st week of February. My husband is a veteran & we were wondering what tickets would be best for us. We plan to go to Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios(both parks) & Epcot 1day each. There are 6 adults & 1 child. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Margaret,

      Veteran is a very confusing term, I believe you mean he served for some period of time and got out. If so there are no discounts available directly from Disney for his situation.

      There is the this one discount available for non-retired veterans which is from Shades of Green. It is only for the months of January and September. Here is my post with details including what documentation is required: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Shades-of-Green/Non-Retired-Veterans.html

      If however he is retired military (served 20 or more years and retired or medically retired (with benefits and pay)), then he is eligible for all the discounts mentioned on my site. And we can discuss the best tickets…

      Reply

  20. Carolyn says

    Steve, I’m at Disney World now on the Military Salute tickets/4 day park hopper. Great deal/savings!! Thanks for the advice on your site!

    Reply

  21. JR says

    We have a child we need to get a ticket for during our 4-day stay. I know Salute only has the one price for ages 3 and up, but I don’t see any price differences listed with child versus adult with the ‘shades of green’ or the ‘regular discounted park ticket’ you mentioned. Do these have child tickets available? If so, is the best deal to just stick with a Salute for the 4-year old? Thanks!

    Reply

  22. Catya says

    Hi Steve for my bf birthday his friend (who is in the military) wants to buy us the regular military discount tickets not the salute tickets

    Two 4 day park hoppers but he doesn’t want to come .will he be able to get us the tickets ?

    Reply

  23. Rebecca says

    My father in law (who is retired military) wants to buy us tickets for disneyworld, but he does not want to go. We have 3 children. If he buys them, can he do it ahead of time and will we able to use them?

    Reply

  24. Darren says

    Steve,

    Thank you for your time and effort putting all of this together.
    My family and I will be going to DW in Feb 2018. We will have 6 days in the parks and are not interested in using the plus feature on this trip. If I am following your information correctly, I believe our best option is the 5 day hopper Armed Forces Salute Tickets and then purchasing a 1 day regular military discount ticket for the final day. Do I have that right?

    If that is our best option, then is there any order the tickets should be used with regards to scheduling fast pass rides? i.e. 5 day pass first then 1 day pass We will be staying at a Disney resort.

    Thanks again.

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Daren,

      Yes in all cases a 5-day Salute plus 1-day regular will be cheaper than a 6-day regular.

      Your decisions which will effect your total price are, on that one day do you want to park hop? If not, then do you want to go to the Magic Kingdom or another park?

      1-Day Other Parks non-hopper: $102 A/$96 C
      1-Day MK non-hopper: $110 A/$104 C
      1-Day Hopper: $167.50 A/$161

      Staying at a Disney Resort, you’ll be using Magic Bands and My Disney Experience. In MDE the last ticket linked is the first used.

      If you are going for the 1-day hoper it doesn’t really matter what ticket is used what day. But if you are going for a non-hopper it does!

      If you are mixing hopper with non hopper, I recommend going by guest services anyway prior to entering each park to ensure the ticket you want used is the one they will deduct from that day. If you want to use the non-hopper in the middle this is necessary. The easiest thing would be to use the non-hopper the first day have it done with.

      Reply

      • Darren says

        Thanks for the reply Steve.
        Our plan is to use a one park/non-MK/non hopper the last day of our trip before hitting the road for home.

        “Staying at a Disney Resort, you’ll be using Magic Bands and My Disney Experience. In MDE the last ticket linked is the first used.”

        Thanks for this info because we are planning to set-up the fast pass rides as soon as we are able. We are going to MK the first day we arrive, and since the one day ticket will be a “Non-MK” ticket, I’ll plan to go by guest services when we get there.

        Thanks again for your help.

        Reply

  25. Ashley says

    We are not Florida residents but we are a military family. Do you happen to know what would be better? Purchasing tickets on Disney’s site and upgrading to an AP the day we get there or getting the AP the day we are there without previously purchasing tickets? I heard that if you go through Disney, they will figure out the difference from what you paid and the upgrade but I wasn’t sure if military annual passes will take that into consideration as well…

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Ashley,

      I’m sorry for the delay in replying. I was at WDW when this came in and it required some research on “price bridging”, so I postponed answering, then it fell below the fold on my comments overview page. I just realized it was still unanswered. Sorry.

      If your intent is to buy solely from Disney, the total you will eventually pay is full price plus tax. In your example you’d pay full price plus tax on the initial tickets then the price difference plus tax to upgrade to an AP.

      Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets will be the same, you’ll pay the difference between what you paid and the full price (no savings). the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets Are sold at a very slight discount 4-8%, with these you would keep that slight discount as DIsney would credit you full price for the ticket.

      However Shades of Green sells APs at a discount. For example the platinum pass is $857.50 from Shades while the gate price is $904.19. This is the way to go. You can buy then ahead or once there.

      http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/buy-military-discounted-disney-tickets-by-phone/

      Reply

  26. Judith Guzman says

    Good Morning,
    I would like to go to Disney from From june 15th until the 19th. Me, my 10 yr old daughter and my husband. I am a veteran 100% medically discharge and he is also a disabled veteran just not 100%. are there any good deals for packages on tickets and hotel rooms for those days that you can help me with?

    Reply

  27. Freddy says

    Hello,

    Great Information. I am thinkin of getting the shades of green stars and stripe passes, can i add the meal to this option or any military plan?

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Freddy,

      The Disney Dining Plan is added to your Disney Resort Room not tickets. As long as you are staying with Disney and using military tickets you can add any paid DDP.

      Reply

  28. Michele Pearce says

    My sons father was in the Army and died of ALS (A service related illness). Is my son eligible for Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets on his own account as his father is obviously not able to purchase them.

    Reply

  29. Kristin says

    Hi Mike
    I have a question that i seem to be getting mixed answers about. The normal one day one park tickets you can purchase on base, are those tickets able to be used after dec 15th? I have been told competeing answers. Disney themselves say that the only military tickets they know of that cannot be used from the 21-31 of dec are the military salute tickets and that we just need to make sure the one day tickets are peak day tickets. Do you know if thats what they sell? When i asked leisure travel they said i could not use one day one park passes during dec 15-31 and that disney would not allow me to buy them at the park either and that is not true according to Disneys ticket office. Do you have any advice on this?

    Reply

  30. Christina Claypool says

    Hi Steve. I only have 4 days available in Orlando. Was looking to do 2 day park to park at Universal and either a 2 day hopper or 1 day hopper 1 day base at Disney. Even though I am unable to use all the days in the promotional ticket price, would it still make more sense financially to buy the promotional tickets? Thank you.

    Reply

  31. Alex Sanchez says

    I am currently an Army Apache Pilot stationed in TX. I want to give a gift to my my nieces and nephews to Disney World for spring break. I don’t want to go into why but it is for sensitive family reasons. I want to pay for them to go but I can’t go due to my duties. My question is as a Veteran can i purchase 4 adult tickets on their behalf using a Military discount? TIA

    Reply

    • Steve says

      Hi Alex,

      You cannot buy them the highly discounted Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets as you will not be going with them.

      You can however but them the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets Or Shades of Green Stars and Stripes Passes (if they are staying on property). Both of these are discussed in this post. CHeck them out!

      Reply

  32. Sandy Mair says

    We purchased 6 each 3-day Disney Military Promotional Ticket.with the park hopper option on 4 Feb 2020 for a trip planned for 14-19 March 2020. Due to Cornoavirus the park was closed the day we were to arrive. These tickets were purchased from the MWR Military base. I have returned the tickets to the base and asked for a refund, I have been told that Disneyland is not refunding tickets. I am not going to be able to go this year, we are due to have a new baby in May 2020, and wont be going on a trip in the near future with an infant. That along with being active military, I don’t know what will be required of me in the coming year(s), or if I will be deployed or not. I would appreciate help in this matter Thank You

    Reply

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